Lappet for spinning machine



Aug. 30, 1966 HIROSHI MORlTA BBWJM LAPPET FOR SPINNING MACHINE Filed June 5, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 30, 1966 HIROSHI MORITA 3,269,104 LAPPET FOR SPINNING MACHINE Fi led June 5, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent ()fiFice 3,269,104 Patented August 30, 1966 3,269,104 LAPPET FOR SPINNTNG MACK-[EVE Hiroshi Morita, 56 Hinode-cho, Koyoen, Nishinomiya-shi, Hyogo-ken, Japan Filed June 3, 1965, Ser. No. 460,937 6 Claims. (Cl. 57-106) The present invention relates to a lappet for a spinning machine and more particularly to a lappet designed so as to absorb shocks acting thereto during the spinning operation.

During a spinning operation, when a yarn delivered from a pair of front rollers is supplied to a bobbin through a snail wire of a yarn guide and a traveller, a balloon of yarn is formed between the snail wire and the traveller running around a ring which cause a yarn tension. The yarn tension varies according to the variation of the thickness of yarn and the variation of the friction existing between the traveller and the ring. Sometimes the friction between the traveller and the ring causes sudden shocks which act on the spinning yarn and cuts the yarn.

T o absorb the sudden shocks of yarn tension, various methods have been tried. However they were mainly designed for absorbing the shocks in vertical and lateral direction of the snail wire and there has not been any device to absorb the shocks of the yarn tension in a forward and backward direction of the snail wire which are the main cause of ends breaking.

Therefore, the principal object of the present invention is to provide a lappet having a novel means of absorbing shocks in the horizontal direction and principally backward shocks and at the same time absorbing vertical and lateral shocks to a certain extent.

The nature and further advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood by referring to the following specification and claims and the accompanying drawings forming part of the present application, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a lappet according to the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a tubular sleeve member forming the principal part of the lappet or FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a sectional View of the element in FIG. 2, as taken on line IIIIII of FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the sleeve member of the present invention,

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on line V-V of FIG. 1,

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the element shown in FIG. 3,

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a relation between the sleeve member of FIG. 4 and a lappet body supporting it.

In order to have a shock absorbing effect for the lappet in a forward and backward direction, the lappet of my invention is provided with a tubular sleeve member which is movably disposed to the lappet body so as to be freely movable in respect of forward and backward movements.

This sleeve member is designed to receive the body of a flexible snail wire having a yarn guide opening at its free end and at its base end an elongated slot. A support pin passing through the elongated slot is rigidly secured to the sleeve member so as to slidably support the body of the snail wire. By means of a spring member disposed in the sleeve member and acting between the rear end of the body of the snail wire and the sleeve member, the body of snail wire is supported in a flexible oscillatory condition so as to absorb mainly the horizontal, backward shock and simultaneously vertical and lateral shock to some extent.

With regard to the angle between the horizontal axis of the lappet and an imaginary tangent line to a profile of the balloon of yarn at a point just below the opening of the yarn guide, the suitable angle for pertinent spinning condition is generally about 60 although it varies according to the balloon control ring and the spinning tension and also other minor factors involved. The so-called spinning angle, which is an inclined angle of yarn between the nip point of the front. roller and the top of the opening of yarn guide of the snail wire to the horizontal line at the top of the opening of the yarn guide, is generally around 70. For convenience of explanation of the present invention, the first mentioned angle is herein called the upper spinning angle while the latter spinning angle is called the lower spinning angle. The component force of the yarn tension in a perpendicular direction which pulls downwards on the yarn guide, as the yarn touches and passes through the yarn guide opening, can be considered as a force having a kinetic frictional nature or vibratory frictional nature based on the vibration of yarn being spun and therefore, in either case, with regard to the yarn guide, the component force in a perpendicular direction can be ignored in the present invention.

When a traveller is running along a ring, in the rearward half portion of the path of travel of the traveller, a contact point of yarn with the yarn guide moves in the same direction as the traveller and therefore the yarn guide is pulled in a rearward direction by the yarn passing through it. When the traveller is running in forward half portion of the ring, the yarn does not drag on the yarn guide opening, but skips from one point to another across the yarn guide opening. Thus, the snail wire is subjected to spinning tension only while the traveller is running on the rearward half of the ring and is given the highest tension when the upper spinning angle is 70 and the lower spinning angle being 60, during which time the compound force given to the snail wire by spinning tension is in a nearly horizontal backward direction.

Therefore, yarn being spun at a high spindle speed such as 15,000 rpm. or higher, alternately touches and disengages from the yarn guide opening in rapid sequence and imparts minute vibrations to the snail wire body.

The lappet, according to the present invention, therefore, has functional features providing a flexible support for the horizontal forward and backward vibration of the yarn guide and thereby absorbing the intermittent shock of yarn tension.

Referring to the embodiment of the present invention, shown by way of example in the drawings, a yarn 1 which is delivered from front rollers passes through a yarn guide opening 3 provided at the free end of a snail wire 2. An enlongated slot 5 is disposed in a rear straight portion 4 of the snail wire which is slidably received in a rectangular sleeve member 6. The slot 5 has the same longitudinal center line as the rear straight portion 4. A pin 7 having a slightly smaller diameter than the width of the slot 5, so as to slidably engage with the slot 5, is rigidly secured to the rectangular sleeve member 6 and passes through the elongated slot 5 when the rear straight portion 4 of the snail wire is slidably supported by the sleeve member 6. A coiled spring 8 is disposed inside of the sleeve member 6 so as to keep the yarn guide in normal position by balancing to the forces corresponding to the above mentioned compound force of spinning tension, and to absorb any irregular forces caused by the impulsive variation of the spinning tension. As shown in FIG. 3, the left end of the spring 8 is connected to the rear straight portion 4 of the snail wire and the other end of the spring 8 is secured to the rectangular sleeve member 6 by a screw fastener 9.

In FIG. 6 there is shown another embodiment of the present invention in which a tongue 16 cut-out from a portion of the sleeve member 6 to form an axially elongated hole 10 is bent to form a tip so as to secure one end of the spring 8, while the other end of the spring 8 is secured to the end 4 of the snail wire 2. It is desirable that, generally the resilience of the spring 8 is selected so as to maintain a light contact of the pin 7 with the right side end of the slot when not being operated on by the spindle, and to keep the position of the pin in an intermediate portion of the slot 5 during the spinning operation.

Therefore, the yarn guide opening 3 of the snail wire has a minute variation which is mainly due to the flexible support. This vibration reduces the frictional resistance existing between the spinning yarn and the surface of the yarn guide opening of the snail wire. Moreover, the yarn guide interferesless with the transmission of the twist of yarn to the nip point of the front rollers as compared with the case when using a conventional snail wire.

By means of the slidable engagement of the pin 7 with the slot 5, turning movement of the snail wire 2 is completely prevented, such movement being one of the defects of the conventional snail wire. By the existence of a clearance between the rear straight portion 4 of the snail wire and inside walls of the rectangular sleeve member 6, the front end of the snail wire, i.e., the opening 3 is allowed to move in a lateral direction and in perpendicular direction within the range permitted by pin 7. However, the movement of the opening 3 is springy, because the end 4' is connected with the spring 8.

The front portion of the clearance existing between the rearward straight portion 4 of the snail wire and the inner walls of the rectangular sleeve member 6 may be filled with soft elastic material 17 such as rubber to restrict the vertical and horizontal swinging of the yarn guide and also to prevent the intrusion of dust. In such case, it is desirable to bond the elastic material to the inner walls of the rectangular sleeve member 6 to secure the elastic material in place.

The rectangular sleeve 6 is inserted in a space between the lappet body 13 and a plate 14 having a central channel portion to receive the sleeve 6 and side portions received between bent over side portions of the lappet body. The space is sufficiently large to allow the sleeve member 6 to move in and out or to be fastened by a suitable screw member. After the sleeve member is inserted therein, its position is adjusted either backward or forward, whereupon it is fastened by a set screw 12 extending through a hole in the lappet body, passing through hole in the sleeve member and screwed into a threaded hole in plate 14. Thus, the rectangular sleeve member and the snail wire body connected therewith are securely held in fixed position. Alternatively the lappet may be designed in a manner as shown in FIG. 4, in which the rectangular sleeve carries, not a longitudinal hole 10, but protuberances 15, to engage in a recess or depression in the lappet body, thereby making it possible to make back and forth adjustment of the rectangular sleeve member, as shown in FIG. 7.

Obviously many modifications and variations concerning this invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that this invention may be practised otherwise than as described.

What is claimed is: 1. A lappet for a spinning machine, comprising a lappet body, a tubular member adjustably secured to said 5 lappet body, a snail wire slidably supported by said tubular member, spring means disposed in said tubular member and acting between said snail wire and said tubular member, said snail wire comprising a yarn guide opening at a free end of said snail wire and a rearward straight portion received in said tubular member and having an elongated slot, said elongated slot disposed in said straight portion in the direction of the center line of said straight portion, a pin having slightly a lesser diameter than the width of said slot rigidly secured in said tubular member so as to pass through said slot when said tubular member receives said rearward straight portion of said snail wire, said spring means resiliently positioning said snail wire in an axial direction of the tubular member with said pin being positioned in an intermediate portion of said slot during the spinning operation.

2. A lappet for a spinning machine according to claim 1, in which said tubular member comprises a rectangular sleeve, said rearward portion of snail wire having a rectangular cross sectional shape so as to engage slidably with said rectangular sleeve.

3. A lappet for a spinning machine according to claim 1, in which said spring means comprises a helically coiled spring having a front end connected with read end to said straight portion of the snail wire and a rear end secured to the inner surface of said tubular member.

4. A lappet for a spinning machine according to claim 1, in which said tubular member has an elongated hole at the rear of said spring means and an integral tongue at the said hole extending inwardly to form a support for said spring means.

5. A lappet for a spinning machine according to claim 1, in which clearance is provided between said rearward straight portion of said snail wire and inner walls of said tubular member and in which an elastic material is positioned in said clearance at the front portion of the engagement of said tubular member with said straight portion, said elastic material being bonded to said inner walls.

6. A lappet for a spinning machine according to claim 1, in which said tubular member is provided with protuberances at the top surface of said tubular member, said lappet body being provided with a recess or depression at the corresponding portion of engagement with said tubular member so as to engage adjustably with said proturbances of tubular member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,460,366 2/1949 Seemann 242157 5o FOREIGN PATENTS 243,833 2/1912 Germany. 337,014 7/1932 Great Britain.

STANLEY N. GILREATH, Primary Examiner. 

1. A LAPPET FOR A SPINNING MACHINE, COMPRISING A LAPPET BODY, A TUBULAR MEMBER ADJUSTABLY SECURED TO SAID LAPPET BODY, A SNAIL WIRE SLIDABLY SUPPORTED BY SAID TUBULAR MEMBER, SPRING MEANS DISPOSED IN SAID TUBULAR MEMBER AND ACTING BETWEEN AND SNAIL WIRE AND SAID TUBULAR MEMBER, SAID SNAIL WIRE COMPRISING A YARN GUIDE OPENING AT A FREE END OF SAID SNAIL WIRE AND A REARWARD STRAIGHT PORTION RECEIVED IN SAID TUBULAR MEMBER AND HAVING AN ELONGATED SLOT, SAID ELONGATED SLOT DISPOSED IN SAID STRAIGHT PORTION IN THE DIRECTION OF THE CENTER LINE OF SAID STRAIGHT PORTION, A PIN HAVING SLIGHTLY A LESSER DIAMETER THAN THE WIDTH OF SAID SLOT RIGIDLY SECURED IN SAID TUBULAR MEMBER SO AS TO PASS THROUGH SAID SLOT WHEN SAID TUBULAR MEMBER RECEIVES SAID REARWARD STRAIGHT PORTION OF SAID SNAIL WIRE, SAID SPRING MEANS RESILIENTLY POSITIONING SAID SNAIL WIRE IN AN AXIAL DIRECTION OF THE TUBULAR MEMBER WITH SAID PIN BEING POSITIONED IN AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF SAID SLOT DURING THE SPINNING OPERATION. 